Apple Vision Pro will launch in early 2024 in the US. While Disney played a big role during the WWDC 2023 keynote, including its CEO saying a Disney+ Vision Pro app will be available on day one, Netflix doesn’t seem so enthusiastic about Apple’s spatial computer.
In his Power On newsletter, Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman discusses app adoption for the upcoming Vision Pro. He believes its App Store won’t be as popular as the iPhone and iPad, but not as failed as the one on Apple Watch and TV. That said, not all developers and streamers are that positive about this machine:
“(…) But the biggest streamer of all, Netflix Inc., will take a pass. I’m told that the company has no current plans to develop a native app for the Vision Pro. Of course, Netflix will still let its iPad app run on the headset unmodified.”
Apple will take three approaches with Apple Vision Pro apps:
- Unaltered iPhone and iPad apps, which will run on Apple Vision Pro. This already works with iOS apps running on macOS with Apple Silicon;
- Developers can choose to convert their iPad apps to run as native visionOS apps, requiring them to tweak the user’s interface and bring a mixed-reality experience;
- Finally, they can build from the ground up their own apps to work on Apple Vision Pro. While this is very beneficial for the final user, it takes a lot for developers to create applications that will be controlled using eye and hand.
Since Apple Vision Pro will only sell hundreds of thousand units during the first year, there’s no right or wrong answer about developers not embracing this spatial computer just yet. Of course, Apple must have some core apps, such as its own Apple TV+ and Disney’s streaming service, but the ecosystem will take years to develop.
As developer’s kits will start being sent this July, we still have to wait to discover which apps will be available on day one when Apple Vision Pro launches in early 2024.
For Netflix, specifically, the company is facing its own battles with password sharing crackdowns, discontinuing the Basic plan, and trying to be profitable with streaming content as its core business.
BGR will keep you posted about Apple’s spatial computer and ecosystem as we learn more about them.
